June 6

Day 6

The Secret Agent was an Academy Award nominated film, nominated for  Best Picture, Best Actor , Best Casting and Best International Feature Film. Though it did not take any Oscars home, the film was an international success.

According to IMDB, “Amid the political turmoil of 1977 Brazil, a technology expert is forced into hiding and seeks help from the underground resistance as he tries to flee the country with his young son.”

Wagner Moura played Armando, a former professor who was involved in political bedlam during the Brazilian military dictatorship. Set in 1977, Armando traveled to Recife to see his son Fernando, and research his late mother, whom he did not remember.

There were assassins sent after him and there were several local problems he faced as well.

I had a difficult time following some of this movie as it was in Portuguese and the complex story kept me as the viewer off-center. I’m not ashamed to say that I was confused at time with what was going on. The film flipped time periods a couple of times and I was not sure what had happened,

There was a weird section of the film featured on a severed leg that had been found in a shark. This surreal scene was strange, but brought some levity to a difficult story. It sounded as if the scene had a deeper meaning.

The ending of the film was excellent and shocking. I was not expecting it. Wagner Moura was great in his role and certainly deserved his Oscar nomination.